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Fall 2025 Graduate Catalog
Anthropological Sciences, PhD
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Degree Awarded: Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology
Director: Amy Lu, Ward Melville Social and Behavioral Sciences Building, S-529
Academic Program Coordinator: Tara Powers, Ward Melville Social and Behavioral Sciences Building, S-503, (631) 631-7606
The Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences (IDPAS), in the College of Arts and Sciences, is an interdisciplinary and interdepartmental program leading to the Ph.D. degree that draws upon faculty and resources from the departments of Anatomical Sciences, Anthropology, Asian and Asian American Studies, Ecology & Evolution, Geosciences, History, Sustainability Studies Program and the Turkana Basin Institute. The goal of the IDPAS is to train students for careers in research and teaching in physical anthropology, archaeology, and cultural anthropology. Students in the Ph.D. program who have already been advanced to candidacy may, upon petition, receive a master’s degree without submitting a master’s thesis. The IDPAS is not accepting any applications for cultural anthropology at present.
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Admission Requirements
Application Website Application procedures and requirements determined by the University at Stony Brook, as set forth in this bulletin, must be followed. Applications will be reviewed by the admissions committee of the IDPAS, and successful applicants will be considered for financial assistance through the award of a teaching assistantship (TA) by the TA committee of the IDPAS. All rules, regulations, and requirements of the Graduate School, Stony Brook University, must be satisfied in addition to those described in this section. Interested students should request information as early as possible, especially if they plan to apply for financial aid. In addition to the admission requirements of the Graduate School, the IDPAS requires: - A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 (B) in all undergraduate coursework and 3.25 in the major field of concentration;
- Acceptance by the IDPAS and the Graduate School.
Course Requirements
Completion of a minimum of 48 graduate credits, maintaining a minimum 3.0 average in all graduate courses. Not more than four credits of SPD or equivalent coursework may be applied toward the satisfaction of IDPAS course requirements. All first-years are required to enroll in DPA 525 - Research Areas in Anthropological Sciences . Physical Anthropology:
Required courses are Other required courses toward completion of study in the Evolutionary Morphology track include
Students on the Primate Behavior track must take
Archaeology Program:
Required courses that form the basis of the qualifying examination are two survey courses chosen from
Additional requirements include
One laboratory methods course chosen from
One area course chosen from
Students must also take one elective course outside the archaeology subdiscipline
e.g. Notes:
Students must have had one season of archeological fieldwork (with committee approval) before advancing to candidacy. Cultural Anthropology:
Required courses that form the basis of the qualifying examination are - DPA 501 - Development of Anthropological Theory
- DPA 540 - Readings in Ethnography and Ethnology
- DPA 520 - Principles of Social and Cultural Anthropology
Other courses required for completion of the cultural anthropology program include
Other courses that may be taken at the discretion of the student’s guidance committee include
- DPA 509 - Seminar in European Ethnography
- DPA 561 - Peasant Societies and Cultures
- and a statistics course.
Qualifying Exam
The qualifying examination must be taken after two or three semesters of study (depending upon sub-field) and passed at an appropriate level. The qualifying examination is administered to each student by the examination committee of the IDPAS. The examination varies by subfield. Students in Physical Anthropology are required to develop a publishable research paper, students in archaeology take an oral exam, while students in cultural anthropology take a written exam. The material covered in the qualifying examination comprises that covered in the courses specified above as well as that covered by the prescribed reading list for the selected field. Language Requirement
The language requirement is optional as determined by each student’s advisory committee. The student must select the suitable language(s) necessary for the chosen field of specialization with the approval of the guidance committee. Language tests must be passed prior to advancement to candidacy. We accept a passing grade in a University course in academic reading in a foreign language (e.g., GER 500 or FRN 500 ), or internal language tests may be administered by program faculty. Before recommending that a student be permitted to engage in fieldwork, the guidance committee may ask the student to demonstrate ability to speak the language required for fieldwork. Preparation of Dissertation Research Proposal
The dissertation proposal is prepared under the direction of the dissertation guidance committee, which is composed of at least three IDPAS faculty members and an external member. The dissertation proposal will be defended orally at a seminar open to the academic community and to which all IDPAS faculty and students are invited at least two weeks in advance. Students should aim to complete and defend their dissertation proposal during their third year in the program. Upon successful defense of the proposal, the student may be advanced to candidacy. The M.A. may be awarded at this point. Dissertation research, writing, and examination are supervised by the dissertation guidance committee. Teaching Requirement
In accordance with Graduate School regulations, every student must gain some teaching experience. This may involve the presentation of a number of lectures in a course offered by a member of the IDPAS faculty. Upon advancement to candidacy, a student may be assigned greater teaching responsibility in the form of an undergraduate course to be prepared and taught under the supervision of an IDPAS faculty member. This arrangement will be made in consultation with the student and with the approval of the TA committee and the student’s advisor. No student will be required to teach more than one course per year, and credit for teaching assignments will be given under the aegis of DPA 600 . Written Dissertation and Defense
The approval of a written thesis and its successful oral defense to the committee and the University community at large are required. Time Limit
The candidate must satisfy all requirements for the Ph.D. degree within seven years after completing 24 credit hours of graduate courses at the University at Stony Brook department or program in which the candidate is to receive his or her degree. |
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